Stoic
by SpitfireUSN
Summary: My first acceptance fiction. This is a romance between the two snipers Archer and Toad (major slash(boy x boy) warning, don't like, don't read!) Toad, Archer, and the rest of the 141 are stationed in Afghanistan when the unthinkable happens. (full synopsis inside) Rated for language and possible suggestive themes, rating also subject to change.
1. Chapter 1 - Gone and Back Again

**_Good day my faithful followers/readers! This is probably the first real slash story I've ever written, since those parts in Indestructible don't count because it's not supposed to be the main focus… But anyway, yes there is slash, major slash! If you don't know what slash is it means there's male x male relationships! Consider yourself warned, if you don't like the idea of it then don't read, I don't want any flames concerning the pairing because it's two guys! You can be harsh with your reviews if you want, so long as you explain what's wrong and how I can fix it, otherwise, keep it to yourself please! Enjoy the story! ^_^_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

_Synopsis: Toad, Archer, and the rest of the 141 are stationed in Afghanistan when the unthinkable happens. The usually boisterous Christian "Toad" Williams becomes secluded when his partner and mentor, Ian "Archer" Richards, is severely wounded and Toad blames himself for it. Meanwhile, Archer is recovering quickly and both are discovering feelings that they didn't know they'd been trying to hide all this time are surfacing, and they are certainly coming in hot. Can the two expert marksmen remain stoic? Or will their walls crumble?_

**CH 1: Gone and Back Again**

There was a deafening bang as Archer neared the solitary humvee. The vehicle went up in a mix of orange and red flame and Archer was thrown twenty meters back into a brick wall.

"Archer! Toad called, running toward the unmoving sniper, "Man down, man down!" he called over the radio.

Archer had landed on his stomach after being thrown into the wall. The old wall crumbled a bit from the force of him hitting it but no rubble had fallen from it.

As Toad got close, someone shot at the wall, causing several large chunks to fall. Two landed on Archer's back and left leg, making the man scream in pain.

Toad looked around quickly , hoping to catch the culprit. He saw a figure retreating from the scene with a rifle that had smoke coming from the muzzle. The figure was dressed in a black robe with a hood covering his head. Taliban… Why did they have to get sent to Afghanistan where the fucking Taliban was…

"Hey! Stop!" he yelled, running after the man.

Toad stopped, not wanting to leave the senior sniper behind. He went back to his injured partner. Archer was groaning loudly in pain as the rubble weighed down on him. Toad carefully pulled the stone chunks off of his partner, rolling the injured man to his back once he was clear of the debris.

"C-Chr-is-Chris-tian…" Archer struggled to get the name out in little more than a pained moan.

That's how Toad knew that shit had gotten serious, Archer _never_ used names, just call-signs.

"Hang in there, mate! You're going to be okay, just stay awake!" Toad shouted in a panic.

"Toad!" Jayhawk yelled as he ran up, "Christ… What happened?" he asked, kneeling by Archer.

"IED threw him into the wall, someone shot it and it crumbled on top of him," Toad said quickly, the panic obvious as his voice trembled.

"Hey, calm down man, he's gonna be okay," Jay reassured, sliding the guile suit hood off of Archer's head.

Archer gave a small smile to Toad. A thick line of blood trickled from the right corner of his mouth.

"Y-yeah, C-Christ-tian… I'm okay…" Archer said quietly, straining to speak at all.

"Yeah, I said you're _going _to be okay, not you _are_," Jayhawk said, examining the burns on Archer's face, "Just take it easy, try to stay awake, mate…"

Archer didn't say anything after that and Toad restrained himself from panicking as Jay worked. There was a growing pool of blood spreading around Archer and he was looking paler by the second.

"Captain MacTavish," Jay said into the radio, "we need immediate exfil," he said quickly, "Archer's going Red," he added quietly so that neither sniper would hear the practically damning statement.

Red, short for Code Red. It was only called when someone was in critical condition and had little to no chance of survival.

"Solid copy, do what you can for now, scratch LZ points, we'll come to you, ETA five mikes," Tavish responded.

Jayhawk tilted Archer's head to the side, exposing his neck. He pushed the tip of a syringe through the tight skin and let the pain killers do their job. Then moving to inspect the jagged piece of shrapnel sticking out from below the right side of Archer's ribs.

"Relax, mate, exfil's coming, you're gonna be alright," Jay said quickly and quietly.

"I… know…" Archer responded weakly, "How'd I get… stuck on EOD… duty anyway…" Archer struggled to speak past the blood, he coughed and a bit of the red liquid came splashing out, "Damn IEDs…"

Archer's breath was heavy and labored and he was looking paler than could be healthy.

In the five minutes it took for the chopper to arrive, Jay tried to slow the bleeding.

"Just stay awake, Archer," Jay urged, "You can't rest yet!"

"I'm…trying…" Archer gasped in pain as Toad and Jay lifted him carefully and moved him into the chopper.

They laid Archer down on the floor of the chopper and the blood continued to spread. Archer could feel the coldness of blood loss consuming him and his eyes slid closed.

Archer forced his eyes open, realizing he wasn't going to make it back, they were too far from the base and he had already lost too much blood, "Chris," Archer said weakly, blood streaming from the corner of his mouth, "t-take… t-t-the…shot…"he struggled to say the simple three words as his grip on Toad's hand weakened.

"Ian! No, you're gonna be okay, man, wake up! Ian!" Toad shouted as his friend's eyes slipped closed again.

The snipers had always had a code between them. When the primary sniper was unable to make a shot or missed it, the spotter would take the shot in the primary's place. To Toad and Archer, _'Take the shot'_, meant _'Take over I'm finished'. _

Toad was leaning over Archer's still body, gripping the older sniper's hand tightly, "Ian… wake up, _please_…"he begged quietly.

Jayhawk and MacTavish exchanged worried glances as Toad struggled to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall.

The rest of the ride was silent aside from Toad's hopeless urging Archer to wake up.

Somewhere along the way Archer had stopped breathing, causing Toad to panic and, after a little while of Jay's work that proved uneventful, break, letting the tears trail silently down his face.

Toad didn't even follow Jayhawk when he took Archer to med-bay. He just walked slowly back to his and Archer's shared room, avoiding everyone's glance and attempting no conversation with the guys that greeted him.

The next two months consisted of Toad drowning himself in alcohol, missing shots he should've easily hit during practice when he bothered to show up, being slow and unfocused during training, and rarely leaving his room otherwise.

MacTavish got the spare key to the sniper's room when Toad hadn't been seen for two days. He found Toad in the room, lying on his bunk, back towards the door, crying silently. He really thought Archer was gone but that was his own fault, he wouldn't listen to anyone when they tried to talk to him. Couldn't really blame him though, if it had been him and Ghost, he'd have the same reaction, they were best mates. 'Tavish closed the door quietly, locking it again, he had to do something.

He thought about it for a minute. Before crashing the first time Archer had spoken to Toad using his first name, no one had bothered to address Toad by either first or last name since Archer was moved to med-bay. He figured it was worth a shot and put the key in his pocket.

He knocked loudly on the door three times, "Christian!" he called, "Open the door mate."

A few seconds later, the door opened. The look on Toad's face gave away the fact that he hadn't slept in days and betrayed the depression he was trying to hide.

"There's something you need to see," MacTavish said, motioning for Toad to follow.

Toad did follow, albeit hesitantly. They stopped outside a door in the infirmary. Toad hadn't been paying much attention. He blamed himself for what happened to Archer, if he had been quicker maybe he'd still be here to tell him to stop fussing and practice.

"We didn't lose Archer," MacTavish said, facing the troubled sniper, "we tried to tell you earlier but you weren't listening to anyone, you barely even tuned into what Ghost was saying during training," a moment of silence ensued what he said, Toad just stared blankly at the door, not believing that Archer was in the room, "He's in there… hasn't woken up in a few weeks, he's okay."

Toad was somewhat comforted by the news but wouldn't believe it until he saw it. MacTavish left, leaving Toad on his own.

He opened the door carefully, stepping inside the small room.

To his disbelief, Toad saw Archer lying on the bed, the steady beeping of a heart rate monitor and the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest told Toad all he wanted to know. He told himself that he'd be there when Ian woke up.

Toad sat down in a chair by the bed. Archer had bandages wrapped around his whole torso, his right shoulder and arm, and the sheet bulged where his left leg had been wrapped. The thin sheet covered him waist down.

Toad couldn't help blaming himself for what happened. The way Archer looked so weak, Toad had never seen him like this. Of course Archer had been hurt before but never this bad. He could've stopped the Taliban guy, if only he had been more alert, he could've noticed the obvious wires of an IED and the suspicious man standing nearby.

Toad was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice Archer's small groan… almost. Toad stood quickly, gently taking Archer's left hand in his right.

"Ian!" Toad called happily as Archer slowly blinked his eyes open, "I…uh…I-it's good to see that you're okay," Toad stammered quickly, unreasonably nervous.

"Good to see you too, Christian," Archer said with a small smile, noticing that Toad was still holding his hand but said nothing of it, "You seem nervous, mate."

"On the chopper… you don't remember what you said?" Toad asked; Archer just shook his head, "Y-you told me to… take the shot…" Toad said with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Well, I don't know what I was thinking but obviously, I wasn't in my right mind," Archer said confidently, gently squeezing Toad's hand as if to give assurance that he was okay.

Toad flushed a little at the gesture, "Y-yeah, I guess…"

"You lost it, didn't you?" Archer asked knowingly.

Toad sighed in defeat, he couldn't hide anything from the observant eyes of his mentor, "Yeah… I lost it…"

"I can tell you've been losing sleep, Christian," he pointed out.

"It's nothing, Ian, don't worry about it," Toad said quickly, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his free hand.

"Chris, I need to know, if something happens to me, that you'll be able to keep going, without shutting out the world," Archer said steadily, holding Toad's gaze, "Promise me you won't lose yourself again?"

Toad nodded, "I promise, Ian, I won't lose it again," he said quietly, knowing the sniper would want to hear him say it instead of just agreeing.

"Good," Archer said with a swift nod, "Now, you need to get some sleep."

Toad gave a small smile, "Okay, I will," Toad answered, hesitant to let go of Archer's hand, "I'll… see you later…" he added, still not letting go.

Neither of them wanted to let go of the other's hand. They both flushed, noticing each other's hesitation and Toad slowly left the room, leaving Archer to his thoughts.

Now that Toad was gone Archer felt colder. He gave a sigh, somewhat satisfied that at least Toad was going to get some sleep.

When Toad got back to the room it didn't feel as empty, now that he knew Archer would be coming back.

Toad sat down on his bunk and thought for a bit. His hand felt cold after he let go of Archer's hand. He wondered if the senior sniper had felt the same way. Toad was soon asleep with these thoughts.

He woke up at 0600. He had to report for training, along with the rest of the task force, before he could go see Archer.

They were going to run the pit first, "Toad! You're up!" Ghost yelled.

Toad snapped from parade rest to attention and jogged towards the start after equipping an Intervention and M9.

When the buzzer sounded he took off at a run, shooting every target almost perfectly and reloading quickly as he kept moving.

"Good," Ghost said when Toad finished, "Looks like you're back in the game."

Toad gave a nod and got back on the line. Everyone ran the course and when they were done they moved to sparing drills.

When they finally finished training for the day it was noon. Toad ate and decided he'd wait a bit before seeing Archer, taking a rest in the mean time.

He woke up about an hour later and went to the infirmary to check on his friend.

"Hey, Archer," Toad greeted as he walked in.

Again, he hadn't paid attention, just followed the route he knew 'Tavish had taken to find the room.

"Hey, did Ghost give you hell in training?" Archer responded, he was now sitting up with the sheet at his waist.

"Yeah," Toad answered with a laugh, "Got my ass kicked by Roach."

Archer laughed a little, "You never could fight worth a damn," Archer joked, "How's your shooting?"

"Same as it was before _you _got _your ass_ kicked by an IED," Toad quipped.

"Oh, ouch!" Archer responded with a laugh.

They both laughed for a while. This was a new side of the stoic Archer, he never joked or laughed this much. Toad liked this change though, it was good to see his friend laughing and smiling.

"You're looking better," Toad commented when their laughter died down.

"Yeah, doesn't hurt as bad," Archer replied, "Might even get out soon," he added hopefully.

"That'd be good," Toad responded, standing right next to Archer, subconsciously taking the injured man's hand in his own.

It felt good to Archer, to be able to feel his friend's strong hand, he knew the same went for Toad, it was written all over his face.

"Yeah, it would," Archer said quietly, "What about you? Looking better than you did yesterday."

Toad gave a small smile, "Yeah, I'm good."

They were silent for a while. Toad flushed under Archer's gaze.

"Y'know, mate," Archer said quietly, "You're pretty obvious…" Toad flushed a deeper red and Archer smiled, "Don't worry mate," he comforted, gently squeezing Toad's hand, "_I'm _taking the shot."

They both smiled at each other.

"We've been partners since we were picked for the 141," Toad pointed out.

"We were together before we even decided to enlist together," Archer added with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I remember how we met too," Toad responded with a small laugh.

"Yeah, so do I," Archer said fondly.

"You were that one scrawny nerd and I was the jockey prankster," Toad said, smiling.

"Biggest prank of the year was on me," Archer continued.

"Girliest fuckin' scream ever," Toad laughed.

"Hey! You'd have screamed too if you got bit there! Especially by a damn snake!" Archer defended, laughing as well.

Toad laughed, "Still not sure how I pulled it off. Lucky for you the snake wasn't poisonous."

"Yeah but I still hunted your jockey ass down!" Archer replied.

"Who knew a scrawny little nerd could hit so damn hard?" he commented, still laughing, "And it somehow led to us being friends."

"Yeah, then you got me hooked on air soft. I was the best shot there and you had me teach you how to shoot as well as I could," Archer continued with a smile, "then we decided to enlist together and both became snipers cause I taught you so well."

They both laughed at the memory for a while. Doc walked in soon after they had stopped and they quickly let go of each other's hands.

Doc greeted Toad who responded with a smile. Archer seemed partly annoyed.

Doc tilted Archer's head to the side a little and injected him with something.

"Toad, while you're here, you could help me with something," Doc said after asking Archer a couple questions.

"Sure," Toad shrugged.

Archer rolled his eyes, "Here we go again…"

"I can't hold him up, but I need to see you much weight he can put on his left leg. I usually get Jay to do it, but he's off doing something or another," Doc explained.

Toad nodded in understanding and positioned himself to help Archer up and to his feet. Toad carefully lifted Archer, careful of his chest and right arm.

Once Archer was up with his weight on Toad and his right foot, he began carefully putting a little weight on his left. When he had almost all of his weight on his left foot it starting hurting and he winced. Toad took the weight he had been putting down.

"Alright, Archer, that's enough," Doc said, writing something down on his clipboard, "Another day or two and you should be good to go. Assuming Toad stays with you in case something happens."

Toad carefully set Archer down on the bed again, smiling at the news that he'd have to stay with Archer at all times. Okay, maybe that was a bit excessive, but still, he'd be there if Archer needed him and he didn't plan on being anywhere else.

When Archer had gotten situated Doc checked his chest, arm and shoulder, writing things down along the way.

"Alright, everything checks out. In the mean time, Archer, try to get some rest," Doc suggested as he left the two sharpshooters alone.

Toad instantly took Archer's left hand again, "What was all that about? Thought after two months you'd be walking," Toad asked.

"Still waiting for a few fractures to heal, Doc's been worried about them for some reason," Archer explained.

Toad sat in the chair next to Archer, still holding his hand.

They stared into each other's eyes, faces only inches apart, and, without either noticing, getting closer. Their lips brushed before Toad captured Archer's mouth in his.

Archer, surprised by the sudden and passionate kiss, froze but was quick to return it. Nothing mattered to the two at that moment, the entire task force could be watching and they wouldn't notice. The only two that existed in that moment were the two snipers. The kiss only ended because they needed a breath. Their foreheads were pressed together.

"I-I should let you…" Toad started but never finished on account of Archer silencing him with another passionate kiss.

"Stay?" Archer asked simply when the kiss ended.

Toad just nodded slowly, their foreheads still pressed together.

"I love you, Ian," Toad said quietly.

"Love you too, Chris," Archer responded.

Nothing else was said. Toad soon fell asleep next to Archer. Archer fell asleep soon after.

**_Well there it is, my friends, the first chapter of my first 'Acceptance Fic': Stoic. Please let me know what you think in the form of either a PM or a review, it is very important to me that I get any response at all; I can only improve if you guys review! The first chapter was originally supposed to be both one and two but I decided to break it up so I could post it faster, Chapter Two will be out as soon as I get off my lazy ass and type it up!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	2. Chapter 2 - Ice Breaker

**Chapter Two: Ice Breaker**

**_Here it is the second chapter of Stoic. Thanks, paramoron, xRosexInxThexSnowx, and MasterDerp5885, for the reviews by the way, I'm so glad you like it! Cheesy chapter title, I know, but it works, you'll see. Besides, it's all I could think of… _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Archer woke up first, his left arm draped around Toad's shoulders. He smiled, remembering the events of the previous night. He ran his hand gently through Toad's reddish brown hair.

Toad woke up and Archer smiled softly at him. They shared a quick kiss before Toad stood and stretched his back.

"How're you feeling?" Toad asked.

"Never been better," Archer responded with a smile.

Toad smiled back, "Same here," he said quietly, sitting down again and taking Archer's hand in his.

They smiled at each other and shared a kiss. There was a comfortable silence as they stared into each other's eyes.

"I better go before the others start wondering where I am," Toad said quietly.

Archer nodded in understanding, but both were reluctant to let go of each other's hand.

"I'll see you later, Christian," Archer said when they finally let go.

"See you," Toad said as he left.

He headed to the mess hall to get breakfast and then it was training.

Training was insane, as per usual in the 141 base. Toad got his ass kicked in CQC practice. Of course he redeemed himself in target practice, to no one's surprise. Afterwards he was dismissed. Roach caught up with him on the way to the infirmary.

"Hey, Toad! Where you going, man?" Roach asked.

"To check on Archer," Toad shrugged and stopped walking.

"So that's where you've been disappearing to now," Roach responded, "Was wondering after you actually started listening to people, where the hell you went."

Toad just shrugged in response.

"Man you were messed up. You were that joker then after what happened, haven't seen you smile until those past two days," Roach said, "You might as well have been dead!"

"You would've been too, bug," Toad commented sourly.

Toad was anxious to go see Archer but Roach didn't seem eager to leave. He just stood there, smiling like an idiot.

Toad just rolled his eyes and turned around, only to be met with a bucket of ice water to the face. He didn't fall or scream out in surprise but he barely flinched back at the coldness. He could hear the laughs of Roach, Meat, and Scarecrow.

"You're a fucking ice cube man!" Scarecrow laughed.

"Yeah! Why don't you _chill _out?" Meat quipped as Toad gave the three a death stare, "Take some time and _thaw!_" he continued with the jokes, making Roach and Scarecrow laugh harder.

"Dude!" Roach laughed, "That's so bad it's funny!"

"Yeah, that's the point of a bad pun…" Meat said pointedly.

Toad was beyond pissed now, "Why don't we settle this in hand-to-hand?" Toad suggested but regretted his decision immediately.

_'Hand-to-hand with Meat?! What the bloody hell was I thinking?!' _Toad mentally slapped himself as hard as he could. _'…I'm starting to sound like Archer…' _He thought to himself randomly.

Roach and Scarecrow laughed harder, "CQC? You? Toad, you can't fight for shit, but why don't we?" Meat agreed, "When and where?"

"Right here, right now," Toad responded, trying to keep his cool as he took up a sparing stance.

Meat smirked and copied the stance before charging at Toad. Toad side stepped and threw a hit at Meat's back, the attack was blocked when Meat caught Toad's arm then turned it and forced the punch full-force into Toad's gut, making him double over. Talk about friendly fire… They both saw an opportunity and went for it; Meat went for a choke-out head lock but Toad saw it coming and countered, putting Meat in the head lock.

There was stunned silence as Toad walked away, back to his room to change clothes; the ones he was wearing were soaked and freezing. It was cold enough as it was, he didn't need to get sick because of some stupid prank. That would just add on to the list of things he wouldn't want Archer worrying about.

Toad pulled a clean shirt over his head with a cough, "Great…" he said, talking to himself, "Already sick… Doc's probably not gonna let me see Archer like this…"

He decided to try anyway and headed out to the infirmary.

He got past Doc and went into Archer's room.

"Hey," Archer greeted when Toad walked in.

Toad smiled in response and walked over to Archer, sitting down next to him. The snipers took each other's hands.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" Toad asked after giving Archer a quick kiss.

"I'm good," Archer answered happily, "Should ask you the same thing, you look like shit."

Toad smiled at his friend's astuteness and chuckled lightly, "I'm okay, some 'muppets' decided it'd be funny to dump a bucket of ice water on me," he explained.

Archer gave Toad's hand a light squeeze, "You feel a little warm… You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, Ian, I'm good," Toad answered quietly.

They locked eyes and their faces got closer and closer until their lips brushed and Archer captured Toad's mouth in his, enjoying the feeling of his lover's slightly feverish lips pressed hard against his.

They refused to break apart. The kiss was searing and passionate.

Archer slowly pulled away, "You need to see Doc," he said quietly, keeping his forehead pressed against Toad's.

"Hmm… Why?" Toad asked dreamily.

"You're sick; I don't want it to get worse…" Archer answered.

"I'm fine," Toad reassured with a smile.

"Okay… But at least get some sleep," Archer conceded.

Toad nodded in agreement and the two shared a quick kiss then pulled away from each other before Doc walked in.

"Toad," Doc greeted, moving to Archer's side.

Toad gave a nod of acknowledgment and bit back another cough as Doc looked Archer over.

"When will I be able to get back to work?"Archer asked after a little while.

"That depends on how much weight you can put on your leg," Doc answered, still checking Archer's chest, "Other than that, looking good, chest, arm and shoulder have healed up nicely, now let's see how the leg is. Toad, if you could get Archer up?"

Toad nodded and slid his arm under Archer's back and lifted him up.

Archer slowly started putting weight on his injured leg. He got most of his weight on his left foot before wincing and having to take the weight off.

"Looking good, Archer," Doc said with a slight nod of approval and a small smile.

Toad helped Archer back down onto the bed. The bandages that had been around Archer's chest, shoulder, and arm were removed and his injured leg was now in a lighter wrap that it had been in before.

"So?" Archer asked enthusiastically, making the doctor chuckle.

"At the rate your injuries are improving you could be walking tomorrow," Doc said hopefully, "Now, I should get a look at those fractures, just to be sure… Toad, could you step out for a moment?" he added.

Toad nodded and reluctantly stepped outside of the room. A few minutes later, Doc came back out.

"I'm done, I'll be back in a couple minutes with the x-rays," Doc said simply, walking off towards some med-lab.

Toad went in the room. Archer was still sitting up. They waited in silence for about five minutes before Doc came back.

He hung up two x-rays so that they could all see them. The one on the right showed that the leg had been broken and shattered in several places. The one of the left, however, was only fractured in a few places and looked like it was healing quickly.

"It's looking good, a few more days and you should be free moving. You could be on your feet now though," Doc smiled, gesturing to a pair of crutches.

Archer smiled widely as Doc passed them over to him. Toad was too busy holding back another cough to smile.

He bit back the cough and smiled as he helped Archer up, making sure he was steady on the crutches. Once Doc cleared Archer he and Toad began the walk back to their room.

Archer smiled at his friend as the left, "Finally on my feet… Now if only I could shoot."

Toad gave a small smile and they walked in silence to their room.

"It's cold out there," Toad said quietly, shrugging his jacket off and setting it down on the desk.

Archer chuckled lightly, "Yeah, it is. It'll probably get colder over night," he said with a smile, sitting down on the bottom bunk.

Toad sat close to Archer. He smiled lightly and pulled his partner closer.

Toad nestled his head against Archer's chest, closed his eyes, and smiled contentedly. Archer kissed the top of his head gently, resting his chin on Toad's head as he wrapped both arms around him.

It wasn't long until Archer felt the steady rise and fall of Toad's chest, telling him that Toad had fallen asleep. Archer smiled to himself and carefully lay down with Toad, keeping the sleeping form pressed against him. He pulled the sheet over their shoulders. Toad snuggled further into Archer's chest and the older sniper fell asleep holding his partner close.

Toad woke up first the next morning with Archer still holding him close in his sleep.

Toad appreciated the closeness and drank in his lover's sent, a woodsy dirt type smell that was slightly mixed with pine and gunpowder, it was so uniquely Archer.

Archer woke up next watching his partner trace his newest scar, the one from the shrapnel that had stuck in his side, with delicate fingers. Toad looked up at Archer's face with shining emerald eyes. Archer leaned forward slightly to press his forehead to Toad's, kissing him lightly. Toad kissed back, closing his eyes and relishing the contact.

"I wish we could just stay like this…" Toad said quietly, nuzzling his face into Archer's shoulder again.

"Yeah… But you got to report for training," Archer pointed out, pressing his lips against Toad's forehead.

Toad sighed, "Yeah… You gonna come watch just to get out of here?"

Archer chuckled in response, "You know it."

Toad chuckled, "We better get up then, don't want to be late."

Toad got up hesitantly and changed into his PT gear. Once he was ready he and Archer headed towards the PT field, keeping pace with each other.

They made it in time and Ghost was already standing there with the men that were earlier than they were.

"Archer! Finally on your feet, eh?" Ghost greeted.

"Barely," Archer commented, "Lying around like that was starting to drive me mad."

Ghost chuckled and left the conversation at that as the men got into formation. He called out the first exercise and Archer watched as everyone else ran through their drills. His eyes mainly found Toad, who had already shed his sweat-soaked shirt despite the cold.

The sweat gleamed off of Toad's chest as the lot of them dropped into push-ups. He wanted badly to have the corporal tucked against him as they kissed, but it would have to wait until after training. Then they could head to the range and he could help Toad with his shooting. He'd have to set up the hardest target possible to have an excuse though; Toad was getting good, really good.

The PT was over quickly and they moved on to the pit. Toad went last and was doing well until the end sprint to the finish when he was stopped in his tracks by a sudden coughing fit. He stumbled through it and crossed the line still coughing before grabbing his water bottle and drinking. He cleared his throat with a light cough as he caught his breath.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ghost demanded, walking up to him with Archer close behind him.

"Sir?" Toad asked like nothing had happened.

"The coughing, what happened?!" he pressed.

"I don't know. It was just, all of a sudden, like I couldn't breathe or something. Next thing I know I'm doubled over coughing up a lung…" Toad explained.

Ghost sighed silently, the last thing they needed was both snipes out of action, "Dismissed, Corporal. I can't have both of our snipers out of action."

"Yes, sir," Toad answered with a small salute, before he turned and started walking away, Archer following him.

"Let's go to the range," Archer said when they were out of ear shot.

Toad smirked and nodded in agreement as they headed towards the range. When they got there Archer set up the hardest target possible.

"How am I supposed to hit that?" Toad asked after missing twice.

Archer smirked, standing behind Toad, "Like this," he whispered, wrapping his arms around Toad, overlapping Toad's hands with his and adjusting where they were placed on the rifle.

He rested his chin on Toad's shoulder to see through the scope, when he saw the target he slowly pulled the trigger and a shot appeared in the center. He smirked and kissed Toad's cheek, who then leaned into the body behind him, closing his eyes as his lover placed light kisses on Toad's neck.

"We should go back to the barracks before they come in for target practice," Toad murmured.

Archer hummed in agreement and helped Toad put everything away, leaving no trace that they had been there and headed back to their room.

"At least we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever," Toad commented, sitting down beside Archer on the bunk.

"So long as we stay inside where it's warm," Archer added, pulling Toad into his chest as they lay down.

"Yeah," Toad said, closing his eyes as he nestled further into Archer's warm chest.

They both fell asleep within minutes, comforted by each other's presence. And for once, Archer felt like nothing would wake him up.

Toad woke up a while later and stayed nestled against Archer's chest, hoping to fall asleep again. He sighed when he heard a soft knock on the door. Too light to be MacTavish and too heavy to be Ghost. It was most likely Doc, here to check on Archer.

He carefully got up as to not wake Archer and went to the door, opening it quietly. Sure enough Doc was standing there.

"I need to check on Archer's leg," Doc said simply, "and Ghost tells me you had a bit of a coughing fit."

Toad gave a tired shrug and opened the door to let the doctor in. He sat down on the bunk and gently shook his partner awake.

"Hey," he yawned, sitting up and stretching his back, "What's up?"

"Doc needs to check your leg out," Toad answered.

Archer hummed a response but it was lost on everyone in the room as Toad turned away, hit by a sudden coughing fit. Archer sat up on the edge of the bunk, worried for his partner as he stumbled over to the desk, gripping the edge tightly as he tried to control the coughs. Doc was beside Toad quickly, pressing him back to sit down next to Archer again.

By the time Toad got the coughing under control Doc was concerned. When Doc moved to examine his lungs Toad waved him off, using the opposite hand that he'd been coughing into, keeping it closed in a fist.

"Don't worry about it, I'm okay," Toad insisted, his voice rough from all the coughing.

"Right," Doc said sarcastically, grabbing the closed and exposing the palm to reveal a red splatter, "This, this is what I was worried about. Down," Doc ordered pushing him back to lie down.

Toad groaned in annoyance and Archer stood out of the way, resting his weight on the desk. Archer sat patiently as Doc examined Toad's lungs.

Toad stopped short of a breath as his chest seized up and he tried to hold the cough back.

Doc pressed a firm hand to Toad's chest, "Exhale," he said firmly, pressing down on Toad's chest as he obeyed, "That's it, slow and steady," he said quietly.

The next breath was shaky and slow but he didn't cough until the next breath.

Doc finished looking Toad over and moved to Archer, "So? What's up with Toad?" the sniper asked.

"I'll let you know when I figure it out," Doc answered quietly, "You know the drill, weight on your left until it hurts."

Archer rolled his eyes at the change in topic but took his weight of the desk and slowly put it on his left leg. He smirked when he managed to get his right foot off the ground without anything worse than a dull thud. Though he had to put his foot back down as he was unbalanced.

"'Bout damn time," Archer muttered as Doc gave a satisfied look.

Doc chuckled, catching the off-hand comment, "Don't get your hopes up just yet, still not steady enough," he said, pressing lightly against Archer's chest, making the sniper stumble, proving his point as Archer grabbed the desk for support, earning a glare from Archer.

Doc chuckled again and picked his bag up, "I'll be back tomorrow," he said, leaving, he knew how to read between the lines, how sleepy-eyed Toad was when he opened the door and yet his bunk looked untouched, the space next to Archer big enough for Toad to lie down next to him, had he been someone else, their relationship would still be a secret between the two snipers and would not have included the medic.

It was worrisome enough that it was Toad that had to wake Archer and not the other way around, but Doc shook the thoughts off as he left to go back to the infirmary in hopes of figuring out what the hell Toad had picked up.

Archer locked the door behind him and went to lie down next to Toad. Toad rolled to his side to face Archer and smiled at his Brit. Archer smiled back and draped an arm over Toad's hip, kissing the top of his head lightly.

Toad smiled and nuzzled his face into Archer's neck with a content sigh. Archer tightened his grip around Toad's hip, feeling like it was his duty and his alone to protect the American. And he would until he died.

Toad looked up at Archer's face, messy brown hair and soft blue eyes that were so uniquely Ian.

"Get some sleep, love," Archer said quietly.

Toad smiled softly, nestling his face against Archer's chest again and pulling his knees into his own chest. Archer wrapped himself protectively around Toad and pressed his face into Toad's soft reddish brown hair. They stayed like that for a while, just relaxing.

Before they were able to fall asleep Toad's stomach made itself known, making Archer chuckle softly.

"Maybe we should go eat," Archer suggested.

Toad chuckled and nodded as they both go up. Archer stood up on his own power, determined that he was going to walk on his own.

Toad smiled at his mentor, "Maybe we can go shoot afterwards," he suggested.

Archer nodded, "Sounds good," he agreed as they left the room to head to the mess hall.

Toad was the first to notice that they were being watched by both the lieutenant and the captain.

"Think Doc told them?" Toad asked Archer quietly, "Y'know, about what happened?"

Archer looked discreetly over his shoulder at the two and shrugged, turning back to Toad, "Probably, he's the medic and they're our superiors, he kind of has to."

Toad hummed in response, "I don't even know what that was… I wasn't even coughing all that often and all of a sudden I just coughed up blood…" he said, poking at his food.

Archer paused, suddenly worried for his partner, "Well… I'm sure there has to be a reason…" he said.

"Yeah, Archer, I'm not worried, just confused," Toad said with a chuckle.

Archer laughed in response, "Alright, tough guy," he joked, "now, what actually happened to get you sick?"

Toad shrugged, "Didn't lie the first time: A couple idiots thought it'd be funny to dump a bucket of ice water on me," Toad explained.

Archer didn't question him further as they finished eating. When they did finish, they stood and left to the range.

Archer stet up a couple difficult targets for Toad. After ten shots Toad had circled the center without being able to hit it.

He groaned in annoyance, "What is it with you and impossible targets?" he asked rhetorically.

Archer chuckled, "It's not impossible, it's hard," he corrected, "and straighten up, you're slouching, elbow in… there," he said, fixing Toad's position.

"It won't steady out, shaking like a damn Chihuahua…" Toad said simply as he looked up from the sights, leaving his finger outside of the trigger guard with the safety on.

"Come on Toad, you're missing the basics here," Archer said softly with a hand on the small of Toad's back, pushing his partner's hips out a little, "pelvis out, hips towards the target, you know this stuff," he said with his other hand on Toad's him, angling them towards where the target would come up.

Toad bit the inside of his cheeks and fought down a blush as Archer's hands lingered on his hip and back as his mentor steadied him.

He felt weak at the knees as he felt Archer's breath skim his neck. He didn't say anything, not trusting his voice at that moment.

"Lean against me, keep the shot…" Archer said softly, trailing his hands up to overlap Toad's, adjusting them carefully as Archer fixed his own positioning.

Toad complied, leaning back against Archer but keeping his position. The target popped and Archer helped Toad pull the shot off and take the center of the target out. The both exhaled slowly and calmly, as if coming out of a trance or something.

Toad set the rifle down and turned to face Archer, still wrapped in his arms, thinking randomly about what would happen if they were captured or something happened, "And I know that you freak out when someone comes near you with a blindfold," he mentioned simply.

Archer chuckled, "Yeah, but lucky me, I've never been captured and neither have you," Archer replied simply, "What brought that up?"

Toad ignored the question, "I plan on getting you over that ridiculous fear of yours," Toad pressed, resting his head on Archer's chest.

"Good luck trying," Archer commented with a chuckle, resting his chin on top of Toad's head.

Toad laughed, burying his face in Archer's chest, "I'll do it, you'll see."

**_Yay! An update! :D Yeah, here's Chapter two and I'm on number five on paper... That's sad... Anyway, let me know what you guys think so far! I like writing this one :)_**

_**Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher**_

_**~Spitfire out**_


	3. Chapter 3 - Action Ready

**_… _****_Guys… Start spamming my PMs reminding me to get this typed if you want to… I'm now on Chapter Seven on paper…. But here you go; I got off my lazy butt and got this chapter typed up. And yes, the coughing thing was very pointless… I felt like it! XD Anyway thanks to all of you that read and review, Laura627, Ace of Aids, and paramoron. _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out _**

When they woke up the next day, Archer didn't feel any more pain in his leg and had to go see Doc to have the fractures checked.

When Doc confirmed that the fractures had healed well he cleared Archer for action. Toad, on the other hand was not as lucky as a cough once again stopped him in his tracks. Doc examined Toad's lungs further, this time managing to find out exactly what was wrong. It was a quick fix for someone as skilled as Doc. Toad would be ready to get back to it by the end of the day.

He caught up with Archer later, when the Brit was running the pit for the first time since being injured. Archer was a little slow and sloppy, but, after two months out of action, it was more than expected.

"Hey," Archer greeted when he finished, "So? What's with the cough?"

Toad shrugged, "I didn't really understand all the medical gibberish, but Doc's cleared it up."

"That's good," Archer commented, "I hate seeing you sick, mate."

Toad chuckled lightly, "I don't like it anymore than you do, trust me."

"Archer, Toad!" Ghost called, coming down from a jog and stopping in front of them, "I just got word that Doc's cleared you both for action. Just in time too, Cap needs a base scouted and you two are the only ones experienced enough to get it done right."

"Yes, sir," Archer answered with a nod, "It'll be good to get back out there.

"Meet us in the briefing room in ten mikes," Ghost nodded, "Wish I could say we weren't seeding the two of you into the meat grinder," he added as he left.

Archer smiled and threw his arm around Toad's waist, pulling him close, "Finally getting out!" he said happily.

Toad chuckled, "Let's go then!" he said, heading towards the briefing room, pulling Archer with him.

Toad finally released Archer's arm as they neared the briefing room. Ghost and MacTavish were already waiting there, discussing something in hushed tones. Archer and Toad stood by at parade rest, and waited for their orders.

"Archer, Toad," MacTavish finally turned to them, "Ghost has already told you this is a high risk mission. Security will be very tight and you'll be behind enemy lines for several days. The risk comes with the patrols, there will be a lot of them," a screenshot of feed from a scout drone appeared on the projector, it detailed patrol routes and stationary guardsmen, to the side, notes had been made of what times the shifts changed, the gaps, however few they were, in the security; MacTavish pointed to a cliff covered in trees and dense foliage, "You'll be staking out here," he traced the perimeter of the base vaguely, "the base is outlined by cliffs, some taller than others, of course. There's only one way in or out of this base. It should help if you are discovered, and give you the time you need to disappear again," Ghost handed each of the snipers a file containing the details of the mission, "The rest is protocol. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," Archer and Toad answered at the same time.

"Good, go gear up, we leave in thirty mikes," Ghost finished for MacTavish, who simply wished them luck.

They gave quick salutes and hurried off to the armory. The files they carried detailed the terrain, the target, and the expected weather for the days they'd be there. Toad retrieved both guile suits while Archer pulled their rifles from the rack.

Archer handed Toad his Kevlar, having hurriedly already put his on while Toad was laying out the suits, and pulled his suit on over the armor. He flipped the hood down, and pulled on a mask that only covered the lower half of his face before putting his hood on properly. Toad matched his motions stroke for stroke.

Toad paused a moment then chuckled, looking down at himself, "Never realized how ridiculous we look," he laughed.

Archer chuckled in response, "Relax, we look badass, if anything," he joked.

Toad chuckled as well and took his M14 EBR from the table as Archer clipped himself up to his Barrett .50 cal.

"Check suppressors," Archer reminded, making sure the one on his rifle was secured tightly.

Toad made a sound of acknowledgment, and prepped the rest of his gear, "Got your med kit?"

"Always," Archer answered, tucking a small emergency kit away in his Kevlar vest.

They finished packing their gear, moving around each other smoothly, and checked each other's load out to make sure they had everything they needed.

"Let's go," Toad said suddenly, "We got ten minutes to get to the chopper!" He shouted, taking off towards the landing pad.

Archer smirked to himself and ran after Toad. They came up to the helipad with a few minutes to spare. Of course, MacTavish and Ghost were already there, waiting with Nikoli and his helicopter.

They gave small nods, saying they were ready and boarded the chopper.

MacTavish and Ghost were silent for the entirety of the ride, if Ian didn't know any better, he'd think that the two officers were nervous for him and his partner. Their mission was going to be a tough one, and Archer's first since he'd been injured in Afghanistan. Both snipers looked more than ready, though. They were prepared to take the risk, excited to, even.

They arrived at the drop off point and the snipers stepped off and immediately headed towards the lookout point.

"Archer?" Toad asked as they approached the cliff.

"Hmm? You sound worried," Archer answered quietly, careful to keep his voice low.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Toad responded as they got in position.

"Me too, but I won't let anything happen to you, I promise," Archer assured, looking through his scope at the base below.

The next three days consisted of hushed voices reading off stats and confirming visuals.

On the third day, things picked up, "I'm seeing increased activity around the road. Looks like they're doubling patrols," Toad informed quietly.

"Agreed," Archer spoke only loud enough for Toad to hear him, "Keep your eye out for Makarov."

Thirty minutes later they had a few close calls with patrols getting too close for comfort.

"I got him in my sights, twenty degrees east, elevation… non variable, wind is with us five miles per hour," Toad read off the stats as Archer adjusted his sights, "Shit he's looking right at us."

"Stay calm, Toad, don't move," Archer whispered.

Makarov grabbed the officer of the base by the arm, yelling to him in Russian while pointing at the ridge. The officer relayed the orders to get men up there immediately, yelling instructions and pointing.

"Shite they're on to us… Let's move," Archer spoke quickly and stood, grabbing Toad's arm and dragging him up as well as he pivoted around and ran.

The sound of angry Russian voices nearby told them that they'd been spotted.

"Move, move, move!" Toad shouted, sprinting past Archer as the Russians gained on them.

"RPG!" Archer yelled as it roared past him and just barely missed Chris, hitting the ground beside him.

Bullets were flying past and Archer felt several being stopped by his Kevlar. He saw Toad stumble before he heard his scream as a bullet pierced his thigh and he couldn't run anymore. Archer ran forward and scooped Toad up quickly, throwing his partner over his shoulders as they ran.

The chopper was there in the five minutes it took Archer to run the distance and Toad was looking pale. Once onboard the helicopter he was breathing heavily from the exertion of running so fast so far with a heavy load on his shoulders, Christian had a much larger, more muscular, frame than Archer did.

He held on to Toad's hand, "Come on, Chris, you're alright, just hang in there," he urged breathlessly.

He leaned back against the hull of the chopper, trying to catch his breath.

"Get some sleep, Arch, Toad will be fine," Jayhawk ordered softly, looking over the younger sniper's wound.

Archer nodded wordlessly, his breath finally coming back to him, and fell asleep easily.

Once they arrived back at the base, Archer quickly put his gear away, knowing he wouldn't be allowed to enter the infirmary with it, and made his way back to medical as quickly as he could.

"Archer," Doc greeted simply, about to suggest that Archer shower, after three days in the Russian wilderness, he certainly didn't smell any better than when he left.

"Where's Toad and how is he?" Archer demanded, cutting the surgeon off.

"He's fine, Jayhawk's with him right now. The wound was through-and-through, it won't take long for him to be back up," He explained simply, "But he did lose a lot of blood and the wound was infected. He was lucky it hadn't spread far."

Archer nodded quietly, "Can I see him?"

"Not right now," Doc answered quickly, "Soon, though, you can wait here if you want."

Ian nodded and sat down. He wasn't sure how long he'd been waiting when Jayhawk came to tell him he could see Toad.

"He's resting right now, but you can see him," he'd been told, "He'll be awake in a few hours."

Archer made a sound of acknowledgement and followed Jayhawk back to where Toad was resting. He sat down in the uncomfortable chair placed beside the bed. Archer wasn't awake long, though, he was exhausted from the op, and he fell asleep with his head resting on Toad's shoulder.

When Toad woke the next morning, Archer was still there and still asleep. For a moment, Chris thought there might be something wrong with him.

"A-Archer?" Toad asked quietly, nudging the elder sniper with his shoulder in hopes of rousing him.

He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when Ian sat up, looking at him blearily.

"Hey, Chris," he greeted around a small yawn, stretching his arms and back.

"Hey, yourself," Chris grinned, "You almost had me worried something had happened to you."

Archer chuckled a little and took Christian's hand, squeezing comfortingly, "Never."

Chris made a face and laughed, "You stink," he commented lightly.

Ian laughed in response and stood, "I guess I better go shower then," he turned to leave, but not before ruffling Chris' hair and placing a light kiss on his forehead.

Toad would be fine in a few days and Archer only needed a bit of rest to recover from the fatigue. Doc chuckled to himself, it seemed like only yesterday that Archer was the one stuck in bed, unable to walk. These snipers certainly seemed accident prone. He just hoped no one else found out about their relationship, not everyone would be so accepting.

Archer returned hours later and he and Toad talked for a while before the pair fell asleep against each other.

When Archer woke up the next day, Toad was still sound asleep, so he decided to wake his partner in the best way he could think of.

He leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly against Christian's. A few seconds later he felt Toad smiling against his mouth. Toad deepened the kiss, holding Archer close.

Archer chuckled lightly when Toad pulled away a while later, looking at his partner curiously.

"I knew that would wake you up," Archer nearly whispered.

Chris smiled, "Best wake-up call ever," he answered simply.

Archer chuckled again, standing up and stretching his back. Toad smiled up at him, glad that Archer hadn't been hurt.

Ian steadied himself as his head spun a little, "Doc's good at what he does," he commented offhandedly.

"Yeah, he is," Toad agreed, sitting up and leaning against the wall behind him.

Chris watched Ian, admiring the older sniper's lithe runner's form as he stretched casually. Toad gave a small smile, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed and planting his feet firmly on the floor. He stood slowly, using the bed for support, as Archer turned to face him.

"Doesn't your leg hurt?" Archer asked as Toad wrapped his arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around Toad's chest.

"Feels fine," Toad answered simply, pressing his forehead against Archer's.

Archer chuckled lightly and pressed his lips against Toad's. Chris smiled against Ian's mouth and returned the kiss, deepening it and running his fingers through the hair on the back of Ian's head.

The more Chris thought about it, the more it sunk in how close he and Ian really were. They'd been together since fifth grade, been through trial by fire together in the form of Archer's father and the war. Chris noticed things that no one else could. Ian had his little tics and habits that even he didn't notice, but Christian did, and he knew every one of them and what they meant. The way that his lips parted ever so slightly when he was focused in on his shot, that's how you knew not to disturb him, or else you might risk a frightened fist to the face. The way he barely licked his lips while he lined up the shot and lightly bit his lower lip before taking it. His hands would sometimes twitch only slightly in the field, it was the only emotion he showed concerning his targets; Archer's hands _never _shook.

Chris was the only one to ever be able to call him out on his bluffs during poker and other card games, and yet no one questioned them, they knew not to, they knew they'd known each other for far too long to not know those things about each other. That's not to say that their silent conversations don't annoy the hell out of them, of course.

It was the smallest things that Chris had learned to notice. If Archer was in a mood, Chris would be the first to notice and fix it. The look Archer was giving him right now was so relaxed and satisfied, and in love.

Christian smiled widely and moved to kiss Ian again. They stood there for a while, wrapped in each other's arms.

Archer guided him back and pushed him down to sit down on the bed again, "If your leg's hurt, you need to lie down and let it heal," he urged, sitting down beside him, "We don't want it getting worse."

"My leg's fine," Toad hummed, nuzzling against Archer.

Ian chuckled lightly, "Is that so?" he asked, pulling Christian into his lap so he could wrap his arms around him easier.

Chris smiled, wrapping his arms around Ian's neck again, "Mhmm…"

"Well," Ian paused, mischief flashed across his eyes, "That's good," he commented simply, pushing Chris back to lay down, "But you should still be resting."

Christian groaned in annoyance, but didn't complain otherwise. Archer sat down in the chair and ran his hand through Toad's hair. Chris sighed and turned on his side to face him. He gave a comfortable smile as he let Archer's touch lull him to sleep.

"You might want to be careful about who finds out about this," Doc said from the door, making Archer jump slightly.

Ian was suddenly nervous and stumbling over his words, trying to come up with some kind of explanation.

Doc chuckled, "It's okay, Archer, I won't tell anyone."

Archer was silent a moment and gave a relieved sigh, "Thanks…"

Doc gave a small nod of acknowledgement, "Hey, I'm a civvie doctor with a soft spot for the military," he shrugged.

Archer chuckled then, "I keep forgetting you're a civvie," he commented plainly.

Ian looked over at Toad as he sighed in his sleep and shifted a little.

"You look tired," Doc pointed out after a few moments of silence, "You should get some sleep too."

Archer nodded and Doc left, satisfied with the silent answer. Archer stood and walked over to the other side of the bed. He lay down next to Toad and pulled his partner close against him. Archer fell asleep slowly, comfortable knowing that Doc would keep their secret.

When Archer woke up, Toad was already awake and messing with his hair. Archer smiled and sat up with Toad.

"How long have you been up?" Ian asked, pulling Chris' hand from his hair but not letting it go.

Chris shrugged, "Not long, Doc said I could go back to training and the field now."

"And you wanted to wait for me to wake up before you got moving again?" Archer asked knowingly.

Christian smirked, "Why wouldn't I?"

Archer returned the look, pressing his lips against Toad's cheek, "Then let's go," he suggested suddenly, standing up with Toad's hand still clasped in his.

Toad grinned and got up, letting himself fall purposely into Archer's chest, feeling strong yet slim arms wrap around him. They put a little distance between themselves as they left, that was, until Christian randomly started laughing and threw his arm around Ian's shoulders, making Archer grin softly, his hands comfortably in his pockets.

To everyone else the snipers looked to be back to their old selves, before the explosion that had taken Archer out.

They went to the rec room where Ghost was chatting with MacTavish about a new corporal coming in, Meat and Royce were playing video games while Scarecrow and Ozone multitasked watching and playing cards. Archer and Toad sat down amongst the chaos of betting on who would win the games being played and Toad started laughing when Meat got aggravated at Royce for beating him. Money and handshakes and laughs and pats on the back were exchanged. Archer kept his ever present stoic expression that Toad could read so well. Archer smiled ever so slightly at the sound of Toad's laugh, things were finally getting back to normal for the pair.

**_Hey look! I got off my lazy butt and typed Chapter Three! xD I'm in Junior College now and get at the school way before my first class, so I use that time to work on this, so expect quicker and better updates coming your way! Reviews and such are always welcome and very much appreciated as always._**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	4. Chapter 4 - Almost Normal

**_Heyo! Chapter Four here, surprise, surprise, I started typing this a couple days after posting chapter three, let's see how long this takes me it's super long for some reason xD. This is the chapter where my OC, Alexander "Flash" McKay is introduced. I rp him on Tumblr (theprojectflash) and on that blog he has a very different opinion of Toad than he does here, that's because this is my Toad and their Toad is very different. :P Thanks to SeraphHT for the review _****_J_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

A few weeks later, Archer and Toad had only grown closer and had been on a few successful scouting ops. By now, a new corporal had arrived and was assigned to Archer's 'squad'. He was an Irish sniper named Alexander McKay. He was quite proud and boastful, and he flirted with just about everyone, serious or not. He seemed carefree enough. Alex was a joker, much like Meat, he took all the pranks he was hit with rather well.

After shooting just outside of the bull's-eye Alex growled in frustration, making Archer chuckle a bit, "What are you? A dog?" he joked, "Relax, McKay, take your time, you're taking the shot too quickly."

Alex sighed with a nod and reloaded. He tried the shot again, this time following instruction. Closer this time, but still not center.

"Better. Try it again, don't pop the trigger, _slowly_ squeeze it, and follow through this time," Archer coached, briefly looking over the Irishman's position, "And stop gripping," he commented, tapping the man's forward hand, the one supporting the barrel, "You're using too much muscle trying to grip it, completely relax into the floor, let the sling hold your position." **_*_**

Alex nodded again and readied his next shot. He put the rifle down randomly, looking over his shoulder slightly.

"Someone's comin'," He commented, taking up his sights again and adjusting the butt-plate in his shoulder.

Archer tuned towards the entrance, it opened a couple seconds later to Toad on the other side. Archer smiled at him and moved closer to him and away from Alex.

"Toad, you weren't supposed to be back for another couple hours," Archer said, smiling fondly at his partner.

Toad shrugged, "What can I say? I couldn't wait to get back."

Alex gave a small snarl. He didn't like Toad and Toad didn't like him. Toad was protective of Archer and it made Alex suspicious of their 'just friends' relationship; he wasn't sure that was all there was to the pair.

"Bloody hell, McKay, what's with you and sounding like a dog?" Archer questioned rhetorically.

Alex had forgotten Archer had the best hearing in the 141.

Toad chuckled lightly, "MacTavish wants to see us in ten, Arch."

Archer nodded in response, "Alright, let's go then, best not to keep him waiting. McKay," he added before turning to leave, "keep practicing."

They walked off, leaving McKay to practice on his own. Once they were out of sight, Toad threw his arm around Archer's shoulders.

Ian chuckled, "MacTavish didn't ask to see us, did he?" he questioned suspiciously.

"Oh he did," Toad answered, nuzzling his face against Archer's shoulder, "But we got about an hour, he, Ghost, and Roach are making plans."

"Well, aren't you the sneaky one?" Ian stated, pulling Chris against him, "Guess we got time to kill."

"We do," Chris replied, placing a kiss on the corner of Archer's mouth.

Ian turned his face and connected them fully at the lips. Chris smiled into the kiss before pulling away.

"Come on then," Archer grabbed Chris' hand and pulled him along towards their room.

They sat down together on Ian's bunk. Chris leaned his head against Archer's shoulder and Archer pulled him into his lap. They laid down, getting as much rest as they could in the short time. Chris had only just gotten back from an op and fell asleep rather easily, while Archer just lay awake, holding his partner close to him.

"Toad, Archer," MacTavish greeted as they stepped into the room, "Roach and I are heading out to recover the ACS, I want the both of you on standby, this is a high-risk high-priority op, and we can't risk not having the support we need."

"Yes, sir," Archer assured, "We'll be ready."

"Good, dismissed," MacTavish responded, sitting down again.

Toad and Archer left the small office. Toad headed towards their room while Archer turned towards the range.

"Arch, where're you going?" Chris asked, stopping.

"Range, I've got to finish up with McKay," Ian answered, facing him.

"Aw, come on Ian, that Irish bastard can practice on his own for a while longer," Chris complained.

"Chris," Ian said firmly, closing the gap between them, "You know I have to do this. I have a job to do."

"Well, yeah, but… since McKay got here things haven't been the same between us…" Chris worried, wrapping his arms around Ian's chest.

"Christian, things haven't been the same since the IED. If _that _couldn't separate us, then _this _sure won't."

Chris gave a small sigh, "Yeah, I guess you're right…" he relented and unwrapped his arms from around the other man, "I'll… see you later then…"

Ian nodded in response and left for the range.

At first, McKay was only _suspicious _of Archer and Toad's relationship, but he saw the way they looked at each other, the way Archer's face lit up a little when Toad walked in. It wasn't his business, he knew, but he did care about Archer, and he didn't want the military to end up separating them. He didn't want to see what that would do to Archer.

Sure, he could keep Archer busy and away from Toad during the day, but the two shared a room. He could at least help keep the suspicions down, he figured. Alex couldn't really care less if Toad was sent way, but Archer was a different story, and one he didn't want to see play out.

If Alex was honest with himself, he'd fallen for that one British sergeant called Roach, he was cute. The sandy, dusty brown hair and boyish grin sold it. Alex couldn't let himself admit it though, he had a younger sister to take care of back home and wouldn't risk getting in a relationship only to be separated. Besides, who was even to say that the feelings were mutual?

Without realizing it, Alex pulled a shot off and completely missed the target. He secretly hoped Archer wouldn't notice.

"What the hell was that?" Archer questioned, defeating his hopes of his fail going unnoticed.

"I… uh…"

Archer smirked a little, "Put the rifle down," Alex bit his lip and did as he was told, "Sit," Archer ordered lightly, gesturing to the chairs set behind each position.

Archer pulled up a chair from another position and sat beside him, "Who's got your mind and when did this happen?"

Alex looked up suddenly, "How did you-"

"I know that look, McKay," Archer cut him off firmly "Now tell me who's caught your eye."

Alex sighed in submission, "Roach," he answered quietly.

"That bug?" Archer chuckled, earning a glare from the Irishman, "he's pretty 'accident prone'; gets hurt just about every mission. The bug's bloody fuckin' hard to kill, hence the name."

"Your point?" Alex questioned.

Archer chuckled, "Mate, if you haven't noticed, we don't exactly follow regulations in the 141. As long as Shepherd doesn't find out, I say go for it."

"Okay, but if the relationship isn't a problem, how do I even know he'd feel the same?" Alex questioned, eyeing Archer pointedly, this could be his reasoning for his relations with Toad, but he was sure that Shepherd would find out eventually and that would spell disaster for them both.

"I suppose you don't. You want me to, or are you going to man up and do it yourself?" Archer asked simply.

McKay went wide eyed, "Wait… what?"

Archer shrugged, "Either way, he's going to be talked to."

"You are _not _talking to him about this!" Alex protested.

"Then you will," Archer responded casually, leaning back in his chair.

"What? No!" McKay shouted, "Roach is _not _going to hear about this, from _either _of us!"

"Oh he will, one way or another, either you talk to him, I do, or he finds out the awkward way," Archer insisted, "Better figure it out soon, He and 'Tavish are heading out soon and they want Sniper Team One on standby."

"So? What does that have to do with anything? It's just too and Toad, always has been," McKay replied skeptically.

"Yeah, it has always been just the two of us, and yeah, 'Tavish probably only meant mean and Toad, but I am in charge of this squad, and he asked for Sniper Team One. I have the liberty to choose my team, and how many that team has," Archer explained, "And I want both of you ready and on standby."

"You're doing this just because I have a thing for Roach, aren't you?" McKay questioned suspiciously.

"Oh no, no my reasons are much more practical," Archer chuckled, "It's a high-risk mission, they'll probably need the cover. Now come on, let's get your kit together."

When they walked into the armory, Toad was already there and getting his and Archer's kits and setting them out on the table. He eyed McKay as he set his vest down.

"He's coming too?" Toad asked.

"Yes, he is, you heard McTavish, it's high-risk, they'll need the support," Archer answered, "And I expect you two to _act _like a _team_ for once."

He pulled his Barret .50 cal. From the rack and set it on the table, checking its sights.

"You know anything about the terrain, Arch?" Toad asked, looking over their limited selection of guile suits.

"Snow, mountains, and sub-zero temps, pack light but make sure you don't freeze to death," Archer answered, clicking a suppressor into place on his rifle before making sure he had enough ammo.

Toad nodded and pulled down what they would need from the collection and set them with their kits as Archer found his small med-kit.

"You got a kit yet McKay?" Toad asked, pulling his light vest on and securing it.

Alex shook his head in response.

"Alright, let's get you set up then," Archer said, securing his own vest.

"Archer, don't waste your time, we've got to be ready in ten," Toad commented, cleaning his own EBR.

"Don't worry, Toad, we have plenty of time," Archer assured, "McKay, pick a rifle and a side arm, and I'll help you with your vest."

Alex nodded and went over to the rack of rifles, considering each one carefully. He eventually settled on a M14 EBR and set it down where Archer had told him and then went over to the side arms and quickly picked out a M93 Raffica.

"Alright, now grab a vest and put it on, I'll fix the fit," Archer instructed, slipping the magazines for his rifle into the pouches of his vest.

He picked a vest and slid it on. Archer pulled the straps tight and secured it.

"Okay, now, for right now, we've only got two of each guile, so you'll have to make do with a standard uniform until we can get more in," Archer informed, passing him a helmet.

Alex nodded in response and put the helmet on.

"You got three minutes left Arch," Toad warned, already starting to head towards the door.

"Alright, you two go, I'll catch up," Archer instructed, tucking his med kit away and securing his guile suit over everything.

Toad hesitated, waiting for McKay to leave, and pulled Archer close, giving him a quick kiss before leaving. Archer smiled softly and pulled the half mask up. He picked up the rifle and tested the stock and butt plate in his shoulder before clipping it to himself and holstering the pistol. He checked his watch, two minutes to run to the helipad, no problem with the light gear.

He took off at an easy run and headed towards the helipad. When he got there, McKay and Toad were glaring daggers at each other as the chopper landed.

Archer broke down their stare off by stepping between them, throwing both of them a dangerous look.

They sat down on the chopper, MacTavish and Roach boarding with them and sitting across from the sniper team. The chopper was quiet other than MacTavish and Roach going over their plan one last time and the ever present obnoxious whirring of the rotors.

The chopper stayed relatively quiet after they left and McKay sat across from Archer and Toad once the Captain and his protégé had disembarked. Toad stretched his shoulders a little and leaned back on Archer's shoulder.

"Get some rest while you can, this could take a while," Archer suggested to the both of them.

Once McKay appeared to have fallen asleep, Archer wrapped an arm around Toad's shoulder and let his head rest against the hull of the chopper. He sat up again to pull his half mask down and flick his hood back, then leaned back again and let his eyes slip closed as the chopper set down at the RV point to wait. Toad fell asleep tucked against Archer soon after.

Almost an hour later, Archer jumped awake at the sound of gun fire coming through the coms, waking Toad and McKay up in the process.

"Archer, we have a bit of a situation here!" MacTavish yelled over the com, "They knew we were coming and we're taking heavy fire!" MacTavish had to yell over the shooting.

"Copy that, sir!" Archer answered and signaled to the chopper pilot to take off so they could give support.

"Negative, do not engage, Sniper Team One. We're making our way to the secondary RV on commandeered snow mobiles, just be ready in case we can't shake 'em," MacTavish replied.

"Copy that, we're ready for you," Archer responded as the pilot set the chopper down again at the secondary RV point.

He stepped off the chopper and Toad knelt down to Archer's right, a few feet away, and McKay set up between and behind them.

A minute later, the team saw their Captain and Roach speeding down one of the steepest hills they'd ever seen. Roach took the little time he had in the air to pull his left arm into his chest as if to protect it. He cringed when he grabbed the handle again.

He swerved to dodge a tree at the bottom, but it made him hit the jump at an angle, there was no landing that jump safely. Alex dropped his rifle and pressed forward at a sprint as Roach landed and the snowmobile started careening.

"McKay!" Archer called after the man as he took off at a sprint, going faster than anyone he'd ever seen run.

Before anyone could blink, McKay had shed his helmet and vest to reduce weight and the snowmobile was already tipping. In the next millisecond, McKay had his arms around Roach's torso and was curled around him to protect him from the impact with the not-so-nearby brick wall. He was knocked out on impact when his head lashed back into it.

Roach stayed where he was in shock, the new kid had just saved his ass, and he had a feeling it wasn't just the luck he was named for this time. Roach pushed himself up, looking down at the Irishman that had just saved him and back at the path he'd run to do it, he saw the man's helmet and vest laying in the snow.

He saw Archer rise and start jogging over, his white guile suit highlighted against the dark body of the chopper. Roach put a shaking hand over the bleeding wound where a bullet had ripped through his forearm. Archer came up, slinging his rifle across his back. He looked down at McKay as he brought Roach's arm up to inspect the wound.

Roach drew away, waving Archer off, "Check him first," he insisted, pulling his arm protectively against his chest, "I'm fine."

Archer gave him a curious look but knelt down beside McKay, checking his pulse and vitals. He gave a satisfied nod and looked him over for external injuries.

All he saw was a scrape on the back of his head that was bleeding a little. Archer made sure it wouldn't get infected and picked McKay up in the fireman's carry and took him to the chopper as MacTavish went in.

"What happened?" he asked upon seeing the newest sniper unconscious.

"I lost control and he tackled me off before it flipped and took the impact with a brick wall," Roach explained, his voice shaking a little.

"Are you alright?"

Roach nodded slightly, "Just shaken up…"

After collecting the shed gear, Archer returned to the chopper and checked Roach's arm. It was through and through and wouldn't be much trouble. Archer said as much as he cleaned and dressed the wound. Roach nodded in understanding, his eyes locked on the unconscious form of Alex McKay.

"Is he okay?" Roach asked, nodding towards the Irishman.

Archer looked over the Irish sniper with a small frown, "We'll know when we can have Doc check him out."

Roach hummed in response, still a bit shaken from recent events.

When they got back to base, Archer wasted no time in getting McKay to Doc and Jayhawk. Roach followed and once McKay was in the medics' hands, gave a disappointed sigh.

"Come on, Roach," Archer said simply, "Let's get your arm taken care of."

Roach shrugged and followed Archer, sitting while Archer collected supplies. Archer unwrapped the temporary patch he'd put over the injury, cleaned, and re-dressed it.

They waited a while for Doc to finish up with McKay and made small talk while they waited. They weren't waiting long, though, as both Doc and Jayhawk came in not ten minutes later.

"Well?" Archer asked after a few silent seconds.

"Ribcage was practically shattered, right shoulder dislocated, left hip fractured, and a moderate concussion," Doc explained, his hand in his pockets, "But we won't know more until he wakes up."

Archer nodded and Roach simply looked at the floor.

"Archer? A minute please?" Doc asked, motioning for Archer to follow him.

"What's up?" Archer asked when they were alone.

"I was hoping you could tell me… What's going on between you and Toad? He seems a little distant. Did something happen?"

"What? No! I don't know what's up with him, he doesn't like McKay for some reason… I mean, the two were fine with each other before we found out he was in my squad," Archer explained.

Doc hummed in response, "I think he might be scared. You've been spending a lot of time training Alex, Toad's afraid you might start ignoring him, maybe."

"Like I would or could ever ignore him…" Archer denied.

"I know that, but does he?" Doc asked, looking behind Archer to where Toad was waiting out of earshot, leaning on the wall.

"I don't see how he couldn't… I'll go talk to him," Archer answered with a small sigh.

Doc nodded in agreement, "Maybe this whole mishap'll give you the time you need to spend some time with him instead of training Alex."

Archer shrugged a little and walked away, towards Toad.

Chris met him halfway and, before Ian could speak, connected them at the lips, not caring who could simply walk into the infirmary and catch them. Archer smiled into the kiss before pulling away, and simply stared into Chris' burning emerald eyes.

The two had no need for words, they simply left the infirmary and headed on their way to their room. They avoided suspicions by keeping only a bit of distance between them. When they got in they both lay down on their bunk in the center of the room. Toad straddled Archer's hips, smiling down at him and pinning the Brit to the mattress. Archer chuckled and attempted to sit up but was pushed back down by his shoulders. Archer heled eye contact with Chris as he intertwined their fingers. He moved Chris' hands apart, getting him closer. When their faces were just inches apart, Archer leaned up and kissed the corner of Chris' mouth. He pulled away slightly before capturing him in a real kiss.

Back in the infirmary, Roach was checking up on McKay. The Irish sniper was still unconscious with his entire chest wrapped, his right arm in a sling, and a small wrap around his head like a sweat band. Roach sighed at the sight, it had almost been him. He had to question how McKay had moved so fast.

Roach heard a quiet moan and looked down at McKay, who he saw was starting to wake up.

He blinked his eyes open and groaned slightly, "Well that sucked…" Alex commented gruffly, his accent thick.

Roach chuckled, "You sound so _very _fucking Irish," he commented.

McKay sat up, adjusting his arm comfortably, "Well maybe that's 'cause I am fuckin' Irish," he replied dryly before realizing who was standing there.

He felt his face heat up slightly and hoped that the blush wasn't noticeable. Then he realized the only things keeping Roach from seeing his back and legs were a thick wrap of medical tape and a thin, white sheet.

"I… I should go get Doc… you're not supposed to be up yet," Roach suggested nervously, turning to leave.

McKay was alone again. He sighed to himself and shifted his legs a little. At least he still could. He remembered when he'd been injured on a mission, when they'd told him that he'd been paralyzed waist down and would never walk again. When he'd heard about the experiment he'd jumped at the chance to be a test subject, if it meant walking again, he was willing to try anything. He was the only physically disabled subject they'd had, and, coincidentally, the only success thus far.

"McKay?" Doc's voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked over to see the medic.

"Oh, hey Doc…" he greeted simply, Roach was with him.

McKay had to lightly bite the inside of his lip to keep from smiling.

"You're not supposed to be upright yet. You feel dizzy, disoriented at all?" Doc asked, fishing a tiny pen flashlight from his pocket and shined it in each of Alex's eyes, testing his body's reaction time.

"I'm fine, Doc, nothing hurts, I'm not dizzy or slow," McKay insisted, stopping himself from laughing at his own expense at the unintentional joke.

"Oh really?" Doc asked suspiciously.

McKay nodded and lightly tapped the back of his neck where the bio-tech was integrated into his nervous system, "You know why," he said simply, accelerated healing, thanks to 'nanites' that were basically overpowered white blood cells, it was the only thing that had worked on everyone and not killed anyone.

"How's that possible?" Roach asked curiously.

Alex bit his lip and looked at Doc, who simply shrugged, "Nano tech… it's connected to my nervous system, so, when I'm hurt, it receives the signal and can send nanites to repair the damage," Alex explained hesitantly, Archer had been right at least on one account, Roach would find out one way or another, "The experiment that did this is the only reason I can walk, let alone move fast enough to do what I did," he added, standing up to reveal the bio-mechanical braces running down the sides of his legs.

Roach still looked utterly confused, "Wait… So, without that… you can't walk?" he questioned.

"Not a step, wouldn't be able to move anything waist down," Alex answered, sitting on the edge of the bed and crossing his arms.

"Okay, so you went from no movement at all to lightning fast? How does that work?"

"Like I said, it's connected to my nervous system, targets deficiencies and then corrects them and improves them tenfold past the normal standard. These… _things _on my legs, they run all the way up my spine. There was no response coming from my legs, but otherwise there was nothing wrong with them, just needed a gap in my spine bridged, so, by some unlikely accident, everything to do with my legs was improved twentyfold," Alex explained, looking at Doc to ensure that he was getting the mechanics of it right.

Roach nodded in understanding, "So you're like… The Flash then?"

Alex laughed a little, "Yeah, that's uh… that's my call-sign, 'Flash'… Thought I'd give you 141 guys a chance to give me one of your own."

Doc chuckled, "You do know he's gonna keep calling you that until it sticks with the others, right?"

Alex shrugged in response, "I suppose they might've come up with it on their own eventually."

"_Sweet!_" Roach cheered, "We have a _superhero _on our side!"

Alex laughed and stood, "Let's uh… Let's just keep this between us, okay?"

Roach nodded in understanding and McKay gave a thankful smile and left, Roach following behind him.

"It's a bit chilly," Roach commented as they stepped outside into the night air.

McKay nodded, deciding not to speak, save some embarrassment he was sure to cause himself.

They walked quietly through the barracks as to not wake anyone that was already asleep. It took McKay a minute to realize that Roach was following him instead of going straight to his room. He knew because Roach was higher up the command chain, having been one of the first recruits. His room was with Ghost across the hall from McTavish. Alex's was by Archer and Toad's room on the other side of the barracks.

Alex ignored it, slightly thankful for the company, the barracks had an eerie feel at night. When they got to Alex's room, McKay hesitated to go in, but did before Roach could question him. Roach sighed to himself and headed back to his own room with Ghost, who was laying on his bunk reading.

"No luck?" he asked when Roach entered the room.

"Sod off…" Roach muttered, dropping heavily on his bunk with a huff.

Ghost chuckled, "I'll take that as a no? He even awake yet?"

"Oh he's awake all right," Roach replied simply.

"Oh? Already?" Ghost pressed.

"Yes, already, no I can't say how," Roach answered, pulling his pillow from under his head and burying his face in it.

"You can't, or you won't?" Ghost asked, sitting up and setting his book on the night stand.

"He wants to keep it between me, Doc, and himself," Roach muttered, his words muffled by the pillow.

Ghost shrugged, "Guess that's a 'black ink' thing then? His file's _covered _in it. Basically all we can know is his name and what he's good at… and basic medical stuff, obviously…"

Roach sat up, "You should've seen it. He was so fucking fast, if you blinked you'd have missed it," he commented after a short silence, staring at the ceiling as he laid back again, "Swear the guy's like Flash…"

"Gonna guess you're going to keep calling him that?" Ghost asked simply.

"Yeah."

Ghost chuckled lightly, "Go to bed, Roach."

Within minutes they were both asleep.

When Archer and Toad woke up the next morning, they expected to find McKay still out cold in the infirmary, but, when they left their room, McKay just so happened to be leaving at the same time, stunning both snipers into a shocked silence.

Alex chuckled, "Surprised?" he asked simply, "Roach was too," he commented, leaning against the wall casually.

"H-how…?" Archer finally managed to speak, Toad simply looked discreetly down at the floor.

Alex shrugged, "Rather not say, actually," He commented.

"Okay…" Archer replied skeptically, "I… guess that means back to work then…"

"I guess it does," Alex agreed.

Toad lightly hit Archer's arm in a silent 'see you later' and walked away. Archer stared after him for a moment before turning back to McKay.

"Okay, now that we're back on track… I think we've been training you in the wrong place," Archer commented, "You can't shoot right on the range because you're not a scout sniper like Toad and I, you're a runner," Archer explained, halting any chance Alex had to question him, "You haven't run the pit yet have you?"

"No."

"Good, you're about to. Come on," Archer motioned for McKay to follow as he walked away.

Alex followed and they came up to the pit where Ghost was once again trying to break his record of fifteen seconds. He stopped when he finished again and spotted the two marksmen.

He chuckled, "Roach said you were up, just didn't think he meant you were actually _up_," he commented, "So, that means the two of you are back to it?"

"Yes, sir. After seeing him run the way he did, figured we should drop the range and hit the pit," Archer explained.

Ghost nodded thoughtfully, "Alright, let's see what you got. Load up and get set, timer starts as soon as the first target pops."

Alex nodded in response, walking over to the tables lined with weapons. He picked up an M14 EBR, a M9, and, of course, the standard combat knife. He stepped over to the gate as it opened and got set to run. He dashed and around the corner and popped the first three targets in no time at all. Alex ran through the rest of the course, managing to avoid the 'civvies' and shooting ever 'enemy'.

Ghost gave a low whistle, "I know Roach said he was fast but damn," Alex had already finished.

Even through the mask, Archer could see Ghost's jaw drop as he checked the time.

Alex had demolished Ghost's record with a time of nine point six seconds.

Archer suddenly had a sinking feeling that Ghost was going to pit them against each other.

A matter of hours later, Archer entered the rec room and flopped down on the couch beside Toad with a tired huff, wincing when he landed on a particularly sore spot.

On seeing Archer's training vest and helmet covered in splotches of yellow and pale blue paint Toad was shocked, "What the hell happened to you?" he asked, "You and Ghost go at it again?" Ghost had been the only one known to nail Archer like this.

It wasn't that Archer was too good for the others to get him, he just usually managed to get them before they could get him.

"Had to be a bloody fuckin' runner…" Archer muttered simply.

"You okay, Arch?" Jayhawk asked suppressing a laugh.

"Alex is _not _a scout sniper... quick little bastard is a god damn _runner_… Lost count of how many times he hit me after twenty…" Archer muttered his answer, "Ghost's record's been blown, by the way."

"By how much?"

"New record is nine point six seconds," Archer answered around a yawn.

There was a low whistle as someone else asked, "How is that even possible?"

But Archer had fallen asleep. Toad chuckled and stood.

"I got him," he said, waving Jayhawk off as he hauled Archer to his feet, effectively waking him.

Archer groaned in irritation at being woken up, not that it was hard to do, he was such a light sleeper the sound of a needle hitting the floor would wake him up.

Toad chuckled again, "Come on Arch, if you're tired enough to fall asleep in here, we need to get you back to the barracks."

Archer simply nodded in agreement as they left the rec room. Halfway there, Archer's head was resting on Toad's shoulder as he tried to stay awake, and it was only noon.

As soon as he was on his bunk, Archer was out. Toad smiled at him as he carefully took the fake helmet off, inspecting the numerous paint splotches curiously. He knew in training that one side used yellow, and the other used pale blue. To get both yellow and blue splotches he had to have gotten close enough to McKay for him to have stolen a weapon and used it against him. Alex had to be pretty damn quick to do that, Archer had unrivaled reaction time. Until now, apparently.

He set the helmet on the nightstand and sat next to Archer's sleeping form, smiling softly as he ran his hand lightly through the messy, cool brown hair of his partner. Toad was slightly worried that it hadn't woken him, but he dismissed it quickly, he was probably used to it by now, not to mention the poor man was exhausted.

Toad stood and walked towards the door. He wondered how many times McKay had been hit. He walked back to the rec room to find Meat and Royce playing video games, Roach, Rook, and Scarecrow were playing cards, and Ozone and Jayhawk were watching Meat and Royce.

"Hey, Toad, you think I could beat McKay if we were pitted?" Meat asked at the end of some racing game they had been playing.

"Don't know… He got Archer well over twenty times, and how many times have _you_ hit Arch?" Toad asked in response.

Meat shrugged, "I've only gotten him once or twice, but that's not the point!"

Toad shrugged in response, "I haven't really seen him in action other than tackling Roach off a speeding snow mobile."

"It's 'Flash'," Roach commented from the table, "McKay's call-sign… it's Flash," he elaborated when the others simply looked at him.

"Flash? …Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Toad shrugged.

"Whatever, I bet I could beat him," Meat boasted.

"Don't be so sure, Meat, I've seen him run, he's _really _fast," Roach commented, laying down a card.

"Come on! No one's beaten my free-running! I don't care how fast '_Flash'_ is, I can beat him," Meat scoffed.

"Oh?" Alex asked as he walked in, "And how many times have _you _nailed Ghost?"

Meat laughed, "You kidding? _Nobody _has nailed him but the Captain!"

Flash shrugged, "Guess I missed that memo," he commented, his accent thick as he entered the room, a grouchy looking Ghost entered behind him, with five perfect splotches of yellow paint on his helmet and vest.

McKay, on the other hand, had perfectly clean gear.

"Too… Fast…" Ghost muttered, "Talk about dodging a damn bullet…"

"Hence the name," Roach called.

"Say, where's Archer?" Ghost asked randomly.

"He all but passed out when he came in here, had to take him back to the barracks, he's down for the count," Toad answered.

"He okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine, just tired."

Ghost nodded simply.

"You know how often Archer gets hit that hard?" Meat asked, not waiting for an answer, "Never! Ghost is the only one that's gotten him more than five times, but _twenty plus hits_?! It's never happened!"

"I find that hard to believe…"

"Somebody's confident," Scarecrow commented, "Think you can beat me, Meat, Roach, and Royce?"

McKay shrugged, "Four on one sounds a little unfair," he commented.

"Okay, fair enough, what if you had Toad spotting you?"

"Never said I couldn't do it, but if you're offering me some help, you have a deal," Alex replied with a cocky grin.

Toad shrugged, "Scout sniper and runner versus three free runners and Roach? Why not?" he agreed, "Not like I don't get my ass kicked every other time I'm pitted…" he muttered under his breath.

McKay chuckled, "Okay, let's do it then."

Ozone laughed, "Still ready to go after two rounds against two of the best? Damn, Scarecrow, you guys are screwed!"

…

…

…

"Flash, you're on an intercept course with Roach, 100 meters ahead on your left," Toad supplied as McKay ran down an alley way.

"Thanks for the heads up," Flash responded, slowing down only a little, allowing Roach to enter the alley ahead of him.

When Roach started shooting, Flash dropped and slid right under him, getting a center mass shot as he went. He had hesitated to shoot, though, and missed his chance to roll back to his feet before hitting the wall behind Roach.

"Flash! You better high-tail it outta there! Meat and Scarecrow are closing in, only ten meters out!" Toad called, "I'll try to draw their fire but I'm not sure how long that'll last."

Alex groaned and pushed himself to his feet, his right shoulder had been dislocated by the impact. He pulled his pistol out in his left hand wand waited, sure enough Mean and Scarecrow jumped down from the rooftops and surrounded him; he was backed into a corner. He eyed both of them and lifted the side arm quickly, leveling it center-mass with Meat. He flinched as his right shoulder was jostled by the motion. Toad took the opportunity to hit Scarecrow, buying enough of a distraction for Flash to recover and take Meat down.

Alex breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks for the assist," he commented over comms, "Would've been done for if you hadn't made the shot."

Having taken Royce out first, thanks to Toad, the match was over. Alex pressed his back against the wall and slid down to sit on the hard dusty ground for a moment, gripping his injured shoulder.

"No problem, man, I learned from the best," Toad commented, "You okay?"

"Yeah… Yeah, I'm good, I think my shoulder's dislocated though," Alex answered, hauling himself to his feet.

"Come on back, Flash, we can have Jayhawk check it out," Scarecrow suggested, helping Royce up.

"That was a pretty slick move, Flash," Roach commented, "Right up until you hit that wall. Looked pretty painful."

Flash chuckled in response, "Yeah, I usually roll back to my feet, missed my chance."

Roach nodded, helping Meat up, "We should get back."

When they arrived at the start gate, Jayhawk moved immediately to check Alex's shoulder, slapping away any attempt of his to touch the injured limb.

"Just a simple dislocation," Jayhawk commented.

The medic took a hold of his arm and made quick work of relocating the joint.

Flash kept the noise down to a pained groan as he clenched his jaw.

He paused for a breath, "Ow…" he commented sourly.

Jay chuckled, "Well did you expect it to feel _good_?" he asked jokingly.

Alex rolled his shoulder experimentally and flinched at the soreness.

"Come on, let's get some ice on it," Jayhawk suggested simply.

Flash nodded and followed Jayhawk to the infirmary. When they arrived, they found Doc going over a few files. He looked up when they came in to see Alex trying to massage the soreness from his shoulder.

"What happened?" Doc asked curiously, putting the file he was going over down.

"Slid under Roach and missed my chance to roll," Alex explained, "Smacked shoulder first into a wall."

Then Jayhawk came back with a cold compress, "The dislocation wasn't bad, but it's a little swollen," he added, speaking to Doc as he wrapped a bandage around the shoulder and compress to keep it in place, "Try not to over work the arm, you're done for the day."

Alex shrugged his agreement and left. He went back to his room to find Roach waiting outside.

"Hey," he greeted simply, "You okay?"

"Yeah, a little sore, but I'll live," Alex answered, "You need somethin'?"

"I was wondering, why did you hesitate?" Roach asked.

"What're you talkin' about?" Alex asked in response.

"You hesitated to take me out," Roach specified, "Why?"

"I… uh… I don't know what you're talking about," Alex lied.

"What? Did you hit your head? You hesitated to pull the trigger on me, but nobody else," Roach persisted.

"No I didn't," Alex insisted.

"_Yes_, you did, you could've rolled in time if you hadn't hesitated, so why did you?" Roach wasn't giving it up.

Alex saw that he wasn't going to concede and sighed in defeat, "Okay, I hesitated, but… I don't know why," he lied, hoping Roach would buy it.

"Well… I guess that's it then… I'll uh… I'll see ya later…" Roach said simply, turning to leave.

Alex sighed and watched Roach leave, _close call_. He was going to find out eventually, one way or another.

"You chicken out again?" Ghost asked when Roach came in.

Roach, predictably, flipped him off and flopped down on his bunk.

"He's gonna find out, mate, better you tell him now…" Ghost suggested, only to have a boot thrown his way.

"Sod off, will you? I'll deal with it when I deal with it," Roach insisted halfheartedly.

Ghost chuckled, "Well, you better 'deal with it' soon. Shepherd is sending us out to Rio soon."

"Mph… What about that means I need to deal with it soon?"

"Occupational hazards," Ghost shrugged, as if it were obvious, "We're taking you, Driver, 'Tavish, Meat, and Royce, Jayhawk, Flash, and me."

"Whatever…" Roach commented, getting settled in his bunk before flipping the lamp off and getting comfortable.

**_*- The advice/coaching Archer is giving in this chapter are actual techniques used by my JROTC rifle team and by the USMC. Our Varsity team is one of the best in the nation. If you have questions on the techniques say so in a review or PM and I'll answer what I can._**

******_Phew! I had no idea how long this chapter was 'til I typed it up! This is almost 7,000 words without the A/Ns! Well, that's it for this chapter, hope you enjoyed Alex's debut ^_^ Please let me know what you think, it's very important that I get feedback!_**

******_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

******_~Spitfire out_**


	5. Reader Appreciation

**_Okay, guys, this is a bit unprompted and uncalled for, but I needed to let you guys know how much I appreciate you all and that is all this will be, one long A/N that is basically a 'Reader Appreciation' post. Okay, now I'm going to stop with this stupid bold and italics for this because, quite frankly, I have a headache and it's not helping._**

Let me start by explaining where this is coming from. I'm going through a pretty rough patch where my self-esteem and confidence are at an all-time low and seriously considering that life isn't worth it and the only thing that might be are dogs (because dogs are magical and are _always _there for you no matter what). So, in need of a little bit of a little reassurance, I started scrolling through the reviews. What I saw there made me happy. It showed me that people really enjoy my work.

People love to see what I love to do. That made all the difference in the world. Just one review or simple comment, no matter how long, complex, detailed, or short, to-the-point, and simple, they all mean _everything to me_. And I can't thank you guys enough for that.

The goal of almost any writer is to feel like their writing is making a difference in someone's day or life, and, because of your reviews and continued support throughout my journey as an improving writing, I feel like I've accomplished that. Because of that, I don't feel like I need any kind of certification that I am a good writer anymore, you guys are all I need.

If you ever decide not to leave a comment or review on something because you feel like what you had to say would go unnoticed, I can assure you that you are 100% wrong. The simplest reviews and kind words helped keep me alive today. I owe you guys so much. **_Thank you_** **_so, so much_**, I love you guys.

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


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